


no i won't think you're easy, no i won't think you're fast

by channelorange



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Always a Different Sex, Alternate Universe - Boarding School, F/F, Genderswap, They're all girls, girl!Harry, girl!Liam - Freeform, girl!Louis, girl!Niall, girl!Zayn
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-03-29
Updated: 2013-03-29
Packaged: 2017-12-06 20:12:53
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 12,667
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/739656
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/channelorange/pseuds/channelorange
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A prompt from the Great Lirry Ficathon, which I'm totally late to. Made for LJ user smash_leigh. She just kind of threw out the whole all girls!boarding school thing and I just ran with it and it turned into this. Contains sexual female content and unrequited feelings.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>  <i>when liam finally gets back to her room (not before a tight hug from louis, a kiss on her cheek from niall, and a kiss at the corner of her mouth from zayn) and lies in bed, she tries her best to dream about anything that's not zayn.</i></p>
<p> </p>
<p>  <i>the last thing she remembers before drifting off is bright, bright green eyes.</i></p>
            </blockquote>





	no i won't think you're easy, no i won't think you're fast

**Author's Note:**

> This is unbeta'd, of course, because ain't nobody got time for dat. It's probably not that great, but I'm thirsty for girl!fics. MORE GIRL!FICS, PEOPLE, C'MON. Please? :3
> 
> Hoping that LJ user smash_leigh enjoys this!

one thing that liam is thankful for is zayn, and that's because zayn is able to sit in the library with her and actually attempt to get some work done. if niall is around, liam gets distracted by her snoring. if louis is around, liam can't get her to stop talking about everything that isn't homework related. when liam is here with zayn, they actually get things done and they can enjoy the rest of their night while niall and louis struggle to scribble something legible on their homework the next morning.

liam is just about finished with her work and zayn must be finished, since she's just drawing doodles on the back of her notebook. zayn never minds waiting for liam to finish because she knows how much of a perfectionist she is. plus it gives zayn more time to work on her sketches, and then she usually ends up showing liam what she's got by the time they're packing their things up. liam never minds when zayn shows her what she's made; in fact, she loves it, because she's getting to see a piece of zayn that not many other people are allowed to see. she thinks it gives her the upperhand when it comes to the two of them.

she's about to look up to ask zayn if she wants to grab a bite to eat after she's done, but the sound of quick footsteps distract her. they both turn their heads in the direction its coming from and zayn quirks her eyebrow up when niall pops out one of the isles. her hair is a bit wild, but it's shoved under her bright red snapback that clashes with her school uniform. she has a bag slung over her shoulder and liam can see her blazer sticking out of the top. niall must've shoved it in there in a hurry because she looks flushed, her cheeks a bit splotchy.

they're spotted by her and her blue eyes widen as she makes a b-line towards the two. "oh my _god_ ," niall exclaims loudly in the relatively quiet library, "you will never guess what just happened in the cafeteria just now."

"we clearly wouldn't since we've been sitting here for the past two hours," zayn points out, giving niall an exasperated look that liam can't help but chuckle at.

niall ignored the remark and yanks out a chair opposite of liam, dropping her bag on the ground with a loud thud. "it was absolutely insane, it went by in a flash, but it was _mad_ , i tell you."

"well, what happened, then?" liam asks, because she knows niall has a tendency to exaggerate a bit on things.

she opens her mouth to speak but they hear more footsteps that are louder than niall's were. suddenly, louis pops out of the same isle niall came from and practically squeals at the sight of them. "you found them!" she yells, which gets unappreciative glares at the other girls at the surrounding tables.

"shush, lou," liam tells her mate, waving her over. "people are trying to study in here."

"good lord, what for?" she frowns. her blazer is also shoved in her bag and her cardigan is buttoned unevenly. her hair is artfully disheveled, just like zayn's is sometimes, even though louis never does it on purpose the way zayn does. the long, brown locks are pulled up into a messy ponytail and her bangs are bobby-pinned on top of her head.

"just sit down," liam says, watching her sit across from zayn. "now what's going on? what happened in the cafeteria?"

"well, yanno harry styles, yeah?" louis questions, watching both liam and zayn nod. "she and rita ora got into a _massive_ fight, right in the middle of the cafeteria! no one knew what was going on. there were some screams, and then all of a sudden, it got wild and i _swear_ i saw blood."

"me too, mate," niall nods, pointing at louis. "styles fucked her up big time. girl doesn't mess around. there was hair pulling and definitely fists flying."

zayn furrows her eyebrows. "i thought those two were really good mates, though?"

"everybody did!" niall says, but she never knows how to be quiet, so there are more glares aimed at them and a handful of hushes. of course niall doesn't care, so she continues with her story. "but _i_ heard that styles hooked up with ora's boyfriend at a house party over the weekend and this is the first time they've seen each other since that night, so it just blew up into this brawl." she reaches up and tugs off her snapback, only to run her fingers through her hair a couple of times and tug it back on. her roots are noticably coming in, liam observes, and she thinks she'll be asking her to re-dye it soon.

"is anybody really hurt?" liam asks with a bit of a frown. they're both nice girls, it would be a shame if either one of them had to go to the hospital or something.

louis waves her off, though. "i'm sure they're fine. a couple of teachers pulled them off each other and took 'em to the nurse, but i think they're keeping an eye out just in case world war two breaks out again."

that causes niall to burst out laughing, her cackle that can be heard from miles away. apparently that's the last straw, though, because the librarian finally comes up to the four of them and insists that she has to kick them out because 'people are trying to _study_ in here and there's no way that can get done with you girls hollering' or something like that. liam has the decency to look apologetic, but zayn doesn't care and louis and niall just laugh some more.

after they collect their belongings and are ushered out of the library, louis immediately clings herself to zayn, her hands wandering to places that are extremely inappropriate for a boarding school. zayn makes an effort to keep her hands out of her skirt and from going too far up her button up white shirt, but the small smile across her lips is there regardless. liam makes an effort to look away.

"what are you ladies doin' tonight?" niall asks, throwing her arm around liam's neck since zayn and louis are preoccupied.

liam shrugs and holds her books tighter to her chest. "nothing, i suppose. zayn and i were getting homework done and i was going to suggest we get something to eat."

"that sounds like a perfect night to me," niall grins. "i'm starved!"

zayn slaps louis' hand away from her hair where it's styled into a carefully placed quiff. "didn't you _just_ come from the cafeteria?" she asks, tilting her head back to look at niall from around louis.

"yeah, so?" liam laughs at niall's confusion and shakes her head. niall's stomach is a bottomless pit that has the ability to never be full, something liam wishes she had even though she's quite content with her figure. she just wishes she could eat as much as niall can in one sitting.

"how about the diner?" louis suggests, looking around at her mates and seeing the approving nods.

the local diner is a couple of roads down from their campus, but there's a trail in the woods by the football field that they always take. none of them have cars, and liam never minds walking a bit. louis never fails to complain almost every time they take the trail, claiming that she's too hot or that there are bugs everywhere or that zayn isn't waiting up for her when zayn is almost always right by her side. this has been happening long enough that liam just ignores it and trudges on and tries not to get a lot of dirty on her knee-high socks or scuff her shoes too much. niall never cares because 'we'll wash them eventually, right, li? why bother worrying about gettin' 'em dirty?' it makes sense, but liam just likes to do things her way.

they get to the diner and almost the entire staff recognizes them. there's no mistaking when they're there because louis and niall never hesistate to let the entire place know that they've arrived. zayn and liam prefer to stay in the background and apologize for the other two, but the waitresses usually just shake their heads and smile.

they sit in their usual booth, zayn and louis on one side and liam and niall on the other, while debby- one of their favorite waitresses- comes up and greets them cheerily. "hi ladies!"

"hi debby," they echo together. she asks what they'd like to drink and they get the usual- for niall, a pepsi; for louis, a strawberry lemonade; for zayn, a coffee; for liam, a chocolate milk- and they thank her as she leaves and they scan the menu.

they chit chat about plans for the weekend and how their classes are and delve into their meals once debby brings it over. nothing's out of the ordinary until louis drops the chips she was about to eat back onto her plate, an "oh my god" falling from her mouth. her eyes are aimed to the front by the door and the rest of the girls follow her gaze until they land on what louis is shamelessly staring at.

harry styles is at their diner, battered and bruised up in her school uniform with perrie edwards and leigh-anne pinnock by her side. they also attend the same school, but they usually stick with their crew. there's not much mixing going around at an all girls boarding school because it's practically impossible for more than five girls to get along without a massive fight breaking out, which is probably what happened with harry and rita.

as they're being seated, they walk past the girls who are all still basically gawking at them. liam has the decency to look away when harry looks back because she was taught that it's extremely rude to stare at people. louis, niall and zayn, however, don't really care if people see them stare because if they say something, they're not afraid to retaliate, and that can certainly get ugly. liam assumes that's what she's around for- she's a great mediator when it comes to her three hot head best mates.

"take a fuckin' picture, lasts longer," harry snaps as she walks by, leigh and perrie in tow with dirty looks on their faces as well.

"maybe when you're back in tip-top shape, styles," louis replies easily, as if harry's words don't affect her at all. "wouldn't want to photograph that nasty bruise you got there on your cheek. that's certainly not a good look for you."

"i bet it'll be a perfect look for you, tomlinson. say the word and we can match," harry smiles, batting her eyelashes. even from here, even with the bruises high on her cheeks, liam can see her bright green eyes.

liam watches zayn sit up, leaning against louis and pointing at harry. "touch a hair on her head, styles, i fuckin' dare you," zayn sneers.

she doesn't want to panic, and she definitely doesn't want to start an altercation in the middle of their favorite diner, and niall must be able to sense liam's tension, because she speaks after. "everybody chill the fuck out and mind your own business. turn around, tommo." she kicks louis' leg under the table, causing her to wail and kick niall back.

zayn relaxes, sliding back down into the booth and scooting closer to louis. "bitch," she mutters under her breath. her eyes are on fire, liam can see it, and she always worries when zayn gets heated because it takes her quite a while to calm down from it. (maybe sometimes she could calm her down, hold her hand, nudge her foot, but that's not her job.)

"oh, zayn," louis sighs, turning to look at her with her wide blue eyes and contagious smile, "i love when you get all protective over me. it makes my lady parts tingle in my panties."

liam chokes on her chips and niall cackles, slapping her hand on the table. zayn's turning red, although her skin is darker than theirs. the blush is high on her cheek and also on her neck while louis wraps her arms around her waist, tucking her head into the crook of zayn's neck.

"don't try to suck up to me, lou," zayn huffs, looking down at her. "stop being such a troublemaker. she could've started a fight with you or something."

"yeah, but i'll have you to save me," she confirms, tightening her grip on zayn.

niall rolls her eyes and continues to eat while liam pushes her plate away, today's activities wearing her out. louis causes enough stress to anyone in a two mile radius, but liam gets most of it. for some reason, she makes herself responsible for these three girls like they're her children (every time they manage to get out of trouble, liam mentally praises mr. and mrs. tomlinson and mr. and mrs. horan for putting up with these two).

it's not as if they're irresponsible, because they certainly know when to get their act together. but they like to be reckless and liam does _not_ like to be reckless, so there's sort of a balance. having zayn around is like a weight being lifted off of liam's shoulder, but she can get a little reckless too. it's very rare of her, but louis is a terrible influence and liam doesn't want to feel like she's holding her mates back. so taking the motherly role is something that she just fell into, and she really doesn't mind it all that much because they're her best mates. she just wishes she didn't have to constantly worry about them.

they finish eating, pay the bill and over-tip debby as usual before shuffling out of the booth. louis clings onto zayn, kissing all over her face and holding her hand. zayn tries her best to look aggravated, but it never works. besides, liam and niall know better.

when liam gets up, she's listening to niall tell a story about some bird in one of her classes she might try to chat up. she brushes off her skirt, but liam feels a heavy gaze on her that isn't niall. when she picks up her head and looks, harry styles is looking right back. liam didn't notice the scratch on harry's other cheek, but it's red and prominent and it looks very mean on her usual soft face. she feels unusually heated under harry's look. she certainly doesn't understand why she's looking at her this way, but she's going to do her best to act as if it's no big deal. just because harry styles is pretty regardless of all those cuts and bruises on her face doesn't mean anything.

she hears niall calling her name and liam catches up with herself. being polite, she gives harry a smile and a bit of a wave before grabbing her books from the booth and clutching them in her arms against her chest. as she's walking towards the girls, she looks back once more in time to see harry wiggling her fingers goodbye with a cheeky smile.

"what was that all about?" niall questions on their way towards the path. zayn and louis are too far ahead to hear niall ask.

"huh?" liam looks over at niall, who is someone she seriously underestimates. despite niall being carefree and whatnot, she is more observant than people think- than _liam_ thinks. "oh, i dunno. she was looking at me so i just waved," she shrugs. "just being polite."

"you're too polite for your own good, leemo," niall grins, tossing her arm over liam's shoulder to tug her closer. "but we wouldn't have ya any other way."

their hips bump together as they walk and niall plants a big wet kiss on liam's cheek. she laughs and pulls herself away, complaining to niall about her slobber. louis turns around to check on them and squeals when she sees them fooling around. "are we bothering liam?!" she detatches herself from zayn and runs over to join niall, getting a good hold of liam's head before licking the other side of her face.

"oh, _louis_!" she cries out, holding her books close with one arm to try and stiff arm louis with her other. now liam's face feels wet and sort of gross and her mates are licking her for no real reason.

truthfully, she wouldn't want her life to be any other way.

**

okay, when liam thought she didn't want her life to be any different, she may have been lying.

"i don't want to go," liam huffs, crossing her arms. she's already in her pajamas and she was _just_ about to put her hair up, which is her universal signal for 'i'm-not-leaving-this-room'.

but of course, her mates have different plans. louis, zayn and niall are all dressed up and standing in her room, waiting for her to get ready. they want to take her to this show that's in town to see some band she's never even heard of. all she knows is that zayn likes 'em, louis doesn't mind going wherever zayn wants to go, and there's going to be beer there, so niall's on board.

"come _on_ , liam, you'll have fun!" louis says, dropping down next to liam on her bed. "there will be music and dancing and _girls_." this earns louis a pointed look from zayn, making louis realize what she just said and clearing her throat. "oh, uh, i mean... yeah, there will be girls there, but no one will be prettier than zayn, so."

niall snorts. "nice try, lou."

zayn rolls her eyes and sits on liam's other side. "i'm just going to ignore louis and talk to you, li. listen, if you don't want to come with us, you don't have to. we just thought you'd like a night out with the girls, is all."

liam sighs and keeps her arms crossed. she really wasn't planning on going out, but they all came over here and are trying their hardest to have her come out and enjoy herself. it's the least she can do, she supposes. "yeah, yeah, alright, i'll come out with you lot."

louis cheers and jumps up from the bed, grabbing niall and spinning her around. liam can't help but laugh while zayn shakes her head. those two are chatting away about the venue they're heading to. zayn nudges her nose against liam's cheek to get her attention. "you sure you want to come? i don't want to feel like we're forcing you, babe." her voice is low and comforting, which always manages to soothe liam's nerves. it also manages to make liam's heart beat faster than normal.

"you're not," liam shakes her head. "it'll be good to go out. get away from school for a while."

"well, good," zayn smiles. she puts her hand on the opposite side of liam's face to pull her closer, pressing a kiss to the corner of her mouth. liam scrunches her nose but smiles regardless and hopes her heartbeat can't be heard. "now, c'mon. get dressed in something cute in case there are any girls who catch your eye."

"but i thought you were going to be the prettiest girl there, zayn?" niall asks with a smirk.

zayn stays on liam's bed while liam gets up and picks out clothes to wear. "hush up, horan," zayn says, moving to lie on her back. "we all know lou only says things like that to be a suck up."

" _hello_?! i'm right here, yanno!" louis stomps her foot and crosses her arms, turning her head away from zayn to gage a reaction. of course zayn doesn't move an inch, her eyes closed as she stays still on the bed. and louis is a weak, weak woman. "zayn!" she whines as she walks over to liam's bed to crawl on top of zayn, "don't ignore me. you're supposed to _love_ me."

cracking open an eye, zayn smirks at louis' pout. "yeah, i'll think about it."

niall rolls her eyes and readjusts her snapback. "you two make me wanna throw up my dinner. and i _never_ want to do that."

"alright, can we go now?" liam asks after she's finished getting changed. "you're so adamant about me going out and now you two are molesting each other on my bed, which is something i'd rather you _not_ do."

louis springs off the bed while zayn takes her time, looking up and down at liam's outfit. "looks good, babe."

"why thank you!" louis grins before realizing that zayn wasn't talking to her. "oh, i mean, yeah, li! you look hot!"

"it's nothing special," she frowns, looking down at her outfit. she's wearing pale gray skinny jeans that are rolled up a bit at the bottom (a dumb habit she's adapted from louis) with flats and a lightweight white button-down shirt with a tie at the hem.

"still hook hot," niall shrugs, poking the bare skin showing between her jeans and the bottom of her top. "leaves something to the imagination, that bit of skin showin'."

liam frowns even more, if that's possible, attempting to tug her shirt down more to cover her lower stomach. "maybe i should change then, i don't want--"

"oh, _stop_ it," louis says, slapping liam's hand away. "you look hot and there's nothing you can do to change it. it's not only your clothes, li, it's also your face." she reaches up and fluffs up liam's hair, letting her hair that's loosely and naturally curled fall on her shoulders. "now let's go or else we'll miss whoever the hell zayn wants to see."

it's a natural reaction for zayn to roll her eyes at louis, so she does as they all shuffle out of liam's room together. it never bothers louis though; if anything, it makes her cling to zayn more and pepper kisses all over her face until zayn gives in and reciprocates her feelings, which is something that zayn is certainly not famous for.

niall and liam hold hands on the way there because "those two simultaneously make me sick and lonely so hold my fuckin' hand, li." they walk because the venus isn't too far from their school and the weather isn't terribly cold for march.

"this is like a club though, right?" liam asks. "and we're only 17."

"i'm 18!" louis says.

"still doesn't make you an adult."

"shut up, horan."

"i know the bouncer," zayn tells liam. "he's cool with the band and says he can get us in with no worries."

of course liam worries, regardless of zayn's words, because what they're doing is technically illegal and liam's not a big fan of illegal like her mates are. but they give her enough comfort, with niall squeezing her hand and louis smiling at her and zayn winking at her. they all know how to deal with liam in their own way, just like she knows how to deal with them.

they get in with no problem, zayn doing this weird handshake thing with the bouncer and them sharing a laugh before he waves them inside. they follow in suit and the music is blasting in liam's ears, making her cringe a bit. she's never been a fan of clubs and concerts like this because there's always too many people and a bunch of skeevy guys trying to pull her in every direction. she doesn't like to be rude, so that's what niall is for. it's like she has a sense for when liam is getting hit on by grungy blokes because she always saunters up, smacks liam's ass and kisses the back of her neck before setting a heavy stare on the offender.

zayn's also able to get them drinks from the bar since she happens to know the bartender. he looks suspiciously like the bouncer, and they do the same handshake that zayn did with the guy outside as well. zayn waves them up to the bar and he marks their hands so if another bartender comes up to them, they can get a drink with no problem.

"thanks, danny," zayn grins, batting her eyelashes. it's not rocket science to figure out how disgustingly beautiful zayn is, and anyone would be a completely fool to ignore her in any way. liam always has a problem saying no to her (always has a problem saying no to all of them- mostly zayn, though) because of her long lashes and wide hazel eyes and a smile that makes her insides melt. she keeps it all to herself, though, because louis' heart eyes for zayn are bigger than liam's, and she would never cross that line with her best mate.

they stick together for a little bit and drink (louis and zayn have fruity cocktails, niall has a beer and liam has a water) before louis ends up dragging zayn to the crowd so they can dance. in reality, louis just wants to put her hands all over zayn and glare and smirk at the people who look at her because she gets to touch zayn and no one else can. liam doesn't blame her. neither does niall.

"yanno, i don't blame louis for actin' like that," niall half-yells into liam's ear, tilting her pint towards the two. "i'd do the same."

"yeah," is all liam says. she doesn't want to say too much because it would probably give everything away and liam doesn't want to put niall in an awkward spot between the four of them.

she's staring into the crowd with no real reason (except to pull her eyes away every time they fall back on zayn) and doesn't realize niall has gotten up from the bar stool next to her until she puts her hand on liam's shoulder. "i'm goin' t'take a piss. you okay here?"

"yeah, i'll be fine," she nods, cradling her water closer. her nerves get the best of her, but she doesn't want niall to think she's going to be a wreck while she's gone for all of three minutes.

niall kisses the corner of her mouth before she goes, weaving through people until liam can't see her blonde hair anymore. as if on cue, some dirty-looking bloke comes up to her with what he supposes is a sexy smirk, although liam would say that he looks like he just licked a lemon.

"how's it goin'?" he asks, leaning against the bar right next to her. liam can smell the beer on his breath and scrunches her nose up in mild disgust. "come here often?"

"ah, no, not really," she replies, glancing at the guy. he has long hair that's pushed back and a mix between brown and blonde. he sort of looks like he got into a fight with some hair dye, and the hair dye won. he also looks extremely sweaty.

the music gets louder, so that gives him an excuse to move closer to liam. she kind of curls into herself, hoping her posture will give this guy a hint. "you're really fuckin' fit," he yells, making it noticeable when he drags his eyes up and down liam's body. "like, crazy fit."

"oh," liam says, her voice raised. "um, thank you." her level of uncomfortable has reached an all-time high with this weirdo around.

"yeah, no problem," he grins, nodding. "so, uh, would you wanna get outta here or something? kinda loud, yanno. maybe we can find some place that's a bit more quiet?"

he puts his hand on liam's upper high and it takes all of her inner strength not to cry right then and there. is this how people flirt and get laid? they just involuntarily touch someone until they're bothered enough to leave? she doesn't like this at all, she wishes niall were here to tell this guy to bugger off, she wishes she never left her room, she wishes--

"hey, don't fuckin' touch her like that!" a voice hollers, although liam certainly knows it's not niall.

her head snaps to the left and she sees harry styles making her way over, her eyes burning with rage. liam's mouth drops open in shock because what the hell is _harry styles_ doing in this club? and why in the world is she defending _liam_?

"and who the hell are you?" the guy asks, glaring right back at harry.

liam feels like a stupid damsel in distress, but she's always had her friends to defend her in situations like this. liam doesn't like guys so she's never had to turn one down because she's never made an attempt to touch one before. liam likes _girls_ ; soft, gentle, kind, smooth girls. not dirty, sweaty, bulky, dumb boys like this one.

"none of your fuckin' business, mate, but if you don't take your hand off her leg then i'll have t'do it for you," harry hisses. she leans against liam, her body heat radiating onto her and it immediately gives liam comfort as opposed to the cold hand that's still on her thigh.

they're like that for a while, staring at each other before the guy finally backs down, sliding his hand off of liam's leg. harry's hand replaces it in the exact same spot and liam feels more warmth, more comfort, more safety than she has in a long time. "whatever. fuckin' lesbians," he grumbles, turning around and walking away with his head down in defeat.

"what a fuckin' prick," harry huffs, flicking the middle finger in his direction before finally turning to liam, who hasn't been able to really take her eyes off the girl since she came over here. "are you okay, though?"

"i'm... yeah, i'm alright," liam nods, her voice failing her against the loud music. "you didn't have to do that."

"yeah, i did," harry grins, and _wow_ , that's kind of a mind-blowing smile she has. why has liam never noticed this before? why has liam never really noticed _harry_ before? "you looked like you were about to have a breakdown."

liam laughs too loud, too obnoxiously, but it makes harry laugh too. and maybe liam wants to make harry laugh some more. "i mean, yeah, i was. that bloke was such a creep."

"all blokes are, yanno?" her hand moves back and forth on liam's jean clad thigh, which gives her chills that go down her leg. "so what are you even doing here, liam payne?"

she may have been too busy watching harry's hand to immediately answer her question, probably because she wasn't really listening either. "huh?"

harry laughs again and liam's stomach turns. "i said, what are you even doing here?" she reaches up and pushes some of liam's hair behind her shoulder. "never would have expected to see you in a place like this."

harry's fingers glide against the exposed skin near liam's collarbone and she swallows the lump in her throat. "um, there's a band here that zayn likes, so i came with the girls." her hands are ringing around her cup of water and she doesn't know if she's sweating or if it's the condensation. "what about you? do you like, um, music?"

as soon as the words came out of liam's mouth, she wanted to crawl into a hole and never come out. harry seems to have realized what she asked because she raises her eyebrow, but her smile gets impossibly bigger. "do i like _music_?"

"well, i mean, i meant to ask if you, um, yanno, liked any of the bands that are playing here? i mean, of course you like music, you're a teenage girl, what teenage girl _doesn't_ like music? but what i meant was if there are any specific types of music that you like that would bring you here." she needs to stop rambling so she brings her water up and takes long, long sips in hopes of calming herself down.

harry giggles and shakes her head as her hand squeezes against liam's thigh. "you're something else, liam payne. but yes, i do like music, thank you for asking," she says through her laughs, "and there is a band i like here, but they've already played. i was on my way out, actually, when i saw that arsehole bothering you."

"oh." liam blinks, thinking about the situation at hand. _harry was going to leave but she stopped and went out of her way to basically save you._ "thank you so much for that, by the way. i didn't properly thank you before, but i really mean it, i--"

"liam?" niall's voice snaps her back into the real world, where she's at a club with her mates and they don't _talk_ to harry styles. "you alright?"

"niall!" liam says, hopping off her bar stool. it makes harry's hand fall off and both girls give her strange looks. "what, um, what took you so long in the loo?"

"long line," niall says, but she's not really looking at liam at all. she's giving harry that look that she gives to guys that try to get on her. "styles. what's goin' on?"

"not much," she shrugs. "just leaving, actually. stopped to have a chat with liam, but i'll be on my way now." she gives niall a tight smile, but her smile to liam is more geniune, a lot softer, and it makes liam's stomach turn again. "cya 'round, li." she puts her hand on liam's arm as she walks by, letting it slide off before she goes.

liam watches her the entire time and doesn't miss when harry turns around and sends a wink her way before ducking out of the exit. there's white noise in her ear and her mind is blank until niall's waving her hand in front of her face, making liam realize where she is and what just happened. "oh god," she mumbles, sliding her hand across her face.

"what in bloody hell was _that_ , li?" niall questions, her eyebrows raised in utter surprise. "since when were you close with harry styles?"

"i wasn't-- i mean, i'm not, i just. when you went to the loo, some creepy bloke came up to me and was trying to chat me up and he touched my leg and then out of nowhere, harry came and told him to bugger off and we were just talking and i asked her if she liked music which is the dumbest thing in the _world_ and now i don't know how to really comprehend what just happened?" liam takes a deep breath after all of that and another long sip of her water, seeing niall looking as confused as she feels.

"i... i don't know what to say?" niall scratches her head under her hat before fixing it in place. "that's such a strange thing to happen."

liam nods and bites the inside of her cheek. "trust me, i know. just... do me a favor, yeah?" niall nods as she takes grabs liam's water, drinking some for herself. "don't tell louis or zayn, _especially_ zayn. i just. i don't want to cause trouble and they're not big fans of her and i don't want anything to--"

"liam, liam, relax," niall says, waving her hand out. "you're fine. i won't tell them, i promise."

she lets out a breath she didn't realize she was holding in. "okay, good. thanks, ni."

"anything for you, leemo," she smiles, leaning over and kissing the side of her head.

liam's extremely thankful for niall because of these reasons. she doesn't make things a bigger deal than they need to be and doesn't like to stir the pot. liam thinks it's as strange as niall does that harry was talking to her, but she's not going to dive into it and try to find the deep meaning to it like louis would, or find out where harry's room is on campus and demand to know what she thinks she's doing like zayn would.

they chill together until zayn and louis come back, sweating and clinging to each other and high off of each other's laughs. louis' hands are wandering under zayn's shirt, higher and higher, then they'll dip to zayn's leggings and they'll touch whatever they can reach and liam can't even look at them because then she might say something. the second they say they're ready to go, liam heads towards the door and into the fresh air where she can clear her head and breathe.

on the walk back to school where zayn and louis are two seconds away from ripping each other's clothes off, niall hooks her pinky around liam's. she looks up and over at her and niall gives her a sweet smile, but liam feels like she knows more. she tries to smile, but it doesn't come out right and niall doesn't hesitate to tug her closer. her arm goes around liam's neck and she kisses her hair while they walk, and niall whispers, "i know, babe, i know, i know," into liam's ear to drown out zayn's laugh mixed with louis'.

she didn't know that niall knew, but it doesn't make a difference. now she knows, but nothing will really change.

when liam finally gets back to her room (not before a tight hug from louis, a kiss on her cheek from niall, and a kiss at the corner of her mouth from zayn) and lies in bed, she tries her best to dream about anything that's not zayn.

the last thing she remembers before drifting off is bright, bright green eyes.

**

"i'm just _saying_ , leemo, that's it's not physically impossible to drink a whole gallon of milk! you just gotta pace yourself!"

liam frowns and holds her books tight to her chest as she walks to maths class with niall. they're in between periods and niall is telling her all about a video she saw with people attempting to drink gallons of milk and immediately throwing up afterwards. why she was watching that video in her history class is beyond liam, but she doesn't think she's going to ask why she was watching it over why she wants to do it in the first place.

"it's not healthy, niall," liam tells her. "it's not good for you. there's the lactose and the calcium in it that's vomit-inducing. if you have too much of it, it'll force you to get sick."

"well it's not like i'm lactose intolerant or anything," she says as they head into class. half of the students are in there and they take their usual seats near the back, even though liam doesn't like sitting all the way back here. she makes compromises with niall, though, because niall brings her her favorite snacks from the cafeteria since she's close with the lunch ladies. "i should be fine if i drink it. i bet i can do it in under an hour."

"i wish you wouldn't try it," liam sighs, pushing her bangs to the side. her hair's in a ponytail and the wavy ends brush against the back of her neck. niall's hair is down and wild, but she's still wearing a snapback and she forgot to grab her blazer before she left for classes.

the bell rings and a bunch of girls rush into the room, including harry styles and leigh-anne pinnock, giggling together when the teacher ushers them in quicker. harry's face has cleared up nicely, just a small mark on her cheek is all that's left. when she sees liam, her smile gets brighter and heads down the isle towards her.

liam's hands start to sweat as she sends her back a shaky smile and averts her eyes when harry spins to sit next to liam and her skirt flutters up, showing a lot of skin liam did not expect to see. "hi, liam," she greets, her curls bouncing as she gets comfortable in her seat.

"hi, harry," she squeaks out, her nerves prominently showing. of course niall laughs at her and harry tries to hide her laugh, but it doesn't work and liam wants the ground to open up and swallow her whole.

the teacher hushes them before they can say anything else and liam distracts herself with taking notes to make the blush on her cheeks go away. she tries her best to not look over at harry, even when she moves her legs _just so_ that it makes her skirt ride up some more, and so what if it makes liam want to let her hands roam that area? that's a totally normal thought for a girl who likes girls. harry is incredibly pretty and she has a nice laugh and bright green eyes and curly brown hair and she's everything that zayn _isn't_ and maybe that's something that liam needs.

class goes by and before the bell rings, the teacher reminds all the girls of the test tomorrow over the clutter of books closing and papers shuffling. liam laughs at niall, who groans dramatically and lets her upper body fall against her desk. "school is so _stupid_ ," she whines. "i wanted to try that milk thing and now i'll have to study for this dumb test."

"maybe it's a sign," liam says, gathering all of her things together in a neat pile while the bell rings. there's scraping against the floors while the girls rush out of the room to go in the hallway and talk about a whole lot of nothing. "the universe doesn't want you to drink a gallon of milk in under an hour because you will definitely get sick and the universe thinks it's a bad idea."

"no, leemo, _you_ think it's a bad idea," niall laughs, finally getting up and shoving all of her things in her bag. "i think it'll be brillant."

liam goes to tell her that no, really, this will get you extremely sick and she doesn't want to have to worry about niall, but there's someone tapping on her shoulder that distracts her. when she turns around, her ponytail practically whipping her in the face, she's met with harry's gentle smile that makes liam's insides melt. "hi, liam," she greets.

"hi, harry." this time is much better; her voice stays at the same octave that it always does.

"i was wondering if you'd like to come to my room tonight so we could study for this test tomorrow," harry suggests. "yanno, chill a little and whatnot. maybe grab a bite and have a night in or something?"

liam's eyes widen at harry, wondering in the back of her mind if this is a date. "is this like a date?"

well, sometimes she has no filter. especially when she's nervous.

"kind of," harry grins. "a study date. but if you want it to be a regular date, then we can definitely do that too. i'd actually prefer it."

"oh, no, um. that's okay, a study date is just fine." liam's ducking her head now, scooping up her books from her table. her bangs are hanging in front of eyes to hide them, which she's thankful because she doesn't think she has the strength to look at harry now that she's basically asked her out. "i'll be 'round about 6 or so?"

liam's grip tightens on her books when she looks at harry again, who's smile seems so wide that it's hurting her face to look like that. then again, it looks like she can't help from smiling that way. "yeah, sounds brillant. my room's 273."

she goes to reply, but harry's already walking away with leigh-anne. liam watches her go, watches as she turns around and winks at liam with a wiggle of her fingers before they leave the classroom. her heart is pounding in her chest and her brain is finally catching up to her. she's going to harry's room for a study date. a _study date_. liam doesn't do study dates, with anyone (unless she counts zayn, but she doesn't, she can't, because they can't be dates, because they're friends, because louis).

"oh my _god_ , liam, i've never seen someone look at you like that before," niall says, nudging her with her elbow. liam realizes she's just kind of standing there like a moron and starts towards the door, going with niall to her locker.

"what? like what?" _with those stunning green eyes, that smile, that dimple._

niall snorts. "as if you didn't see her. she was practically undressing you with her eyes!"

"who was undressing liam with their eyes?"

if anything brings liam back to the real world faster, it's zayn's voice when she doesn't like the way something sounds. she whips around and sees their best mate, one hand on her waist while the other is holding books. one of her eyebrows is raised and she looks suspicious and liam is _not_ a good liar.

"huh?" the first thing she can think to do is to play dumb. she's sort of good at that.

"was someone undressing you with their eyes, li?" zayn asks again.

liam looks at niall, who's head is buried in her locker trying to avoid this conversation as much as possible. she can usually rely on niall to cover for her in instances like this, but zayn caught them off-guard and there's no way to cover this one up. "oh, no, no," liam tries, looking back at zayn. "niall was just... exaggerating."

"but someone was looking at you like they wanted you, is what you're getting at," zayn says. "so who was it?"

"no one! no one was looking at me like that!" outright denial usually works, right?

her eyebrow goes higher, if that's even possible, and liam crumbles under her stare. she's such a bad liar and she can't lie to zayn, out of all of them. she can try, but it almost never works and she usually needs a backup (niall) but that's failing right now, so she has no other option but to tell the truth.

taking a deep breath, liam ducks her head and lets "harry styles" slip between her lips as quietly as possible. unfortunately, zayn handles it the exact way that liam thought she would. " _what_?! you're talking to _harry styles_?!"

" _zayn_!" liam worriedly looks around the hallway at all the girls littering about. "good god, zed, please be quiet and don't tell the entire school!"

her eyes are wide and full of shock and liam prays that that look just goes away and zayn can go back to her soft looks and gentle touches and _you know i love you, li, right?_ "i can't believe you're chatting her up! she's a bitch, li! did you not hear her threaten to beat up lou at the diner or did that fly right over your head?!"

"i obviously heard it, zayn, i was sitting right there," liam snaps, which causes niall to look at liam with surprise. liam doesn't snap at anybody, especially zayn. "look, she's actually a lovely girl. so- so i don't know why you dislike her so much. you've never even tried to get to know her, so you have no place to judge. and- and you know what, zayn? you know, some people would say _you're_ a bitch, too, but i would defend you even if we weren't best mates. but we are, yeah? and- and that's it, we're best mates, that's it, and that's what we do for each other." she swallows the lump in her throat and feels the fire in her stomach settle, but she doesn't have the courage to look at zayn. she's staring at the lockers, and out of the corner of her eye, she can see niall frozen in place. "so, just, don't go making assumptions, yeah? harry can look at me however she wants to and you don't have the right to say anything about it because you're with lou, _not_ me, and you don't get a say about who looks at me."

"liam," zayn starts, her voice softening into that voice that liam falls for every single time, "i'm just trying to protect you."

"well, i don't need it. harry's a sweet girl, she's pretty, and i'd like to get to know her. and i don't need your permission to do that." liam finally feels like she's able to breathe, like she just yanked a huge weight off of her shoulders, but there's still a pain in her stomach. "now, if you'll excuse me, i need to go to class."

she chances one look at zayn before she goes and all that she can see in her eyes is hurt and confusion. liam's quite familiar with that look because she's given to zayn many times, when she would come into liam's bed at night after she got in an argument with louis, when she would hold liam tight like there is no other place she'd rather be, when she would kiss liam's neck and link their hands together, and then when she would be right back in louis' arm the very next day. yes, liam's very familiar with that look. she's mastered it for what feels like years.

now, though, now she doesn't want to be confused or hurt. and that starts with (mentally) ending things with zayn and starting anew.

**

her books are clutched to her chest as she stands in front of harry's room, the numbers on the door mocking her. today has been an extremely strange day; after she had blown up on zayn and made her grand exit, she felt a bit sick to her stomach and dry-heaved in the bathroom for about ten minutes. after classes, she checked her phone and saw a text message from niall that made her feel better than she has all day.

_sooooo insanely proud of u for stickin up for urself with zayn!!!! u deserve better leemo n u kno it!!! mayb styles will b good for u!! never kno but worth a shot good luck!_

niall's ethusiasm is what gave liam the courage to collect herself and finally go to harry's room. she's a bit early, 5:49, and she's contemplating on standing there for another eleven minutes before she firmly thinks _fuck it_ and knocks on harry's door.

"hold on!" she hears from the other side. liam brushes off her skirt and fixes the collar of her white shirt before harry opens the door. her curls are crazier than before, pushed back but still fluffy as ever. her green eyes are wide as is her smile and she steps aside when she sees liam. "liam, hey, hi, come in."

"hi harry," liam greets with a shy smile before ducking her head and walking into the room. she lets her eyes soak in as much as she can as she looks around the room. there's posters on the walls and soft music that she doesn't recognize playing in the background and it's a bit of a mess but it seems so _harry_ that she can't even feel uncomfortable. "i like your room."

when she turns around, she finds harry already looking at her with the same smile liam's been seeing since the diner. "thanks. sorry it's a bit of a mess." harry bites her bottom lip and liam immediately has the urge to bite it as well.

"oh, no, don't be sorry," liam says, waving her hand out, "i've seen worse, trust me. niall's room is a pig sty. yours is spotless compared to her's."

harry nods, and she keeps nodding, and it's confusing liam. "right, okay. um. can i... can i ask you something before we--" she doesn't finish her sentence, just walks over to liam and grabs her books out of her hands to put them aside. liam's even more confused, but her pulse quickens when harry grabs both of her hands and pulls them over to her bed.

they sit down next to each other and harry is still holding her hands and liam feels their legs brushing against each other. "are you alright, harry?" she asks, because she's getting a bit concerned if something went wrong, or maybe zayn said something to her? god, liam doesn't know, but she's worried.

"no, yeah, i'm alright," she laughs, nodding her head. she shifts on the bed, moving even closer to liam if that's possible, and squeezes her hands. "i just wanted to-- well, i heard from one of my mates that you were talking about me in the hallway today."

liam's stomach drops as does her face before she begins to sit up straight. "oh, god, harry. listen, i can explain, zayn was just being extremely rude and out of line and--"

"and you were defending me," harry interrupts, and liam's voice fades out. "zayn called me a bitch and you said that i'm a lovely girl and that i'm _sweet_ and i'm _cute_ and that you'd like to get to know me better." their eyes meet and liam never wants to look away. "is that true, li?"

swallowing her nerves away, liam nods and doesn't break their gaze. "yeah. yeah, i did say those things. and i meant them. zayn had no right to say those mean things about you when she doesn't even know you, and i want to prove them wrong."

harry giggles, _giggles_ , and liam feels like she's going to faint like the girls who used to collapse at the sight of elvis presley. she guesses that's what infatuation feels like. "well, i mean, i'm not _that_ nice. you're much nicer, i can promise you that. but that's probably the sweetest thing anyone's ever said about me," she tells liam, her thumbs rubbing soothingly against the back of liam's hands, "and i also think you're lovely and cute and i'd love to get to know you better, too."

her eyes widen in surprise; she certainly wasn't expecting that statement, not from harry styles. "yeah?"

"yeah," she grins, squeezing liam's hands. she tugs on them a bit, bringing liam closer while she leans into liam's space. "is this okay?" harry whispers.

liam can feel her breath against her mouth and she looks down at their hands before meeting harry's eyes once more. "yeah. you want to-- with me?"

"yeah," she repeats, flicking her tongue out to run over her bottom lip that liam so desperately wants to suck on. "do you want to?"

unconsciously, liam squeezes her legs together and tries not to nod too frantically. "yeah, yes, please. can we?"

" _yes_ ," harry breathes, nodding before pressing her lips to liam's.

she feels like she's in another world when she's kissing harry. her lips are soft and pillowy, but her tongue is devious and clever. liam's never kissed anyone like this, never with this much passion and heat that she can feel radiate between them. harry reaches up and cups liam's jaw, letting her thumb swipe under her ear before digging her fingers into liam's hair. she manages to gently tug her hair out of the ponytail and liam feels it fall against her back.

"fuck," harry mumbles in between kisses, bringing both hand up and digging them into liam's locks. "i've wanted to do this for weeks. weeks, liam payne."

"weeks?" harry is pushing her body closer and closer to liam, giving her no choice but to fall back onto the bed and letting harry crawl on top of her. she's certainly not complaining about it, though.

"weeks," she says. her body is arched over liam's with her legs on each side of liam's hips and she's still in her school uniform, as is liam, but after harry manages to pull her mouth away from liam's, she begins working on her clothes. "these need to come off, okay?"

liam gulps but nods because she feels hot all over and harry's hands are unbuttoning her blazer, then her cardigan, then her white button up. all harry has on is her white button up and her skirt, liam noticing the other two articles of their uniform tossed somewhere in the room. she sits up as much as possible and pulls off her blazer, then her cardigan, letting them fall to the floor without much care.

as soon as harry has enough buttons open to touch liam's torso, she does just that, diving her hands in to touch her flat stomach and up her curved sides. "god," she whines, her eyes soaking in whatever she can get. "you're so fuckin' fit, liam, jesus."

"i-- thank you, thanks." she's never been able to take a compliment very well and wants to distract herself as much as possible, so she starts working on harry's button up. she's just as fit as liam and all liam wants to do is run her tongue across every inch of skin that she can reach, but she feels like they don't have enough time for that (even though they actually might- maybe it's just that liam is so desperate to get her hands on harry that she doesn't know how long she can wait).

when both of their tops are off, harry dives down and starts working on liam's neck, right under her birthmark, and liam doesn't hesitate to tilt her head back and let her. she loves getting attention on her neck because it's one of her more sensitive spots and it turns her on immensely. liam runs her hands up and down harry's sides, her fingertips sometimes dipping into the top of her skirt, but then she brings both hands up and puts them over harry's bra strap. "can i?" she asks, as if either of them need to be sure of what's going on.

"yes, li, you don't have to--" harry huffs out a laugh against her neck and then bites it, causing liam to arch her back and moan. her fingers work quick, unclasping harry's bra and pushing the straps down her arms. harry pulls her arms up so liam can untangle it and toss it out of the way. "here, let's just. hold on."

suddenly, harry rolls off of liam and ends up next to her on the bed, reaching down and unzipping the side of her skirt. liam watches her, wishing that she could undress harry herself, but harry's giggle brings her eyes back up. "would you get undressed so i'm not the only one naked, please?"

"oh," liam breathes. "yeah, sorry, i just. yeah." liam repeats harry's actions, unzipping her skirt and pushing it down with her panties and sitting up so she can take off her bra. as soon as all clothes are out of the way, harry pushes liam back down and straddles her once more, forcefully kissing her and letting their breasts and hips rub against each other. "oh _god_ , harry, you feel so-- fuck."

"didn't expect you to have a dirty mouth, liam payne," she whispers against her mouth with a grin. liam grins too and tilts her head up, nipping at harry's bottom lip and tugging it the slightest bit, which apparently gets harry going because she rocks their hips together again. "let's see what else comes out of those lips."

"huh?" but liam doesn't get an answer, just one hand on her shoulder to keep her steady while the rest of harry's body travels down liam's. her wet mouth drags across her collarbone, both of her nipples and down the middle of her flat stomach before nipping at the bit of flesh at liam's left hip. " _harry_ ," she groans, trying to push up to get closer to her mouth.

harry's not having any of it though and keeps liam flat while she moves down further. liam's already wet, she can feel it, but when harry's down slides down her lips, her whole body shudders with delight. "god, you're sensitive," harry whispers, licking her mouth obscenely. liam thinks that she must be illegal in some country, any country.

she brings both arms down to hold liam's hips, folding them to spread them out but to bring her hands in to hold liam's lips open. she licks again and liam shudders harder because it's against her clit and she feels like she's going to come any second now. "you taste good," harry mentions off-handedly, her tone intended for anything else except what they're doing.

liam goes to say something, probably to beg harry to just touch her already, but harry seems just as impatient and leans in, flicking her tongue repeatedly against liam's clit. "oh _fuck_ , harry, fucking hell," liam pants, trying to push her hips down further. harry's arms keep her still while she works at liam's cunt with vigor.

like liam thought before, harry's tongue is extremely clever and works in wondrous ways. sometimes she'll dip down further and push her tongue inside of liam, which makes her purr like a kitten, but harry focuses on her clit while sliding a finger inside instead. she curls her finger up and sucks on her clit at the same time, making liam practically sob with pleasure. no girl has ever eaten her out like this before, _ever_ , and liam never wants this to stop.

she pushes her finger in and out steadily and continues to roll her tongue around while liam turns into a withering mess above her. "i think i'm gonna come," she moans, reaching down to run her fingers through harry's hair while her legs come up on her shoulders.

"please do," harry says after she pulls away for a moment. her lips are slick and shiny with liam all over her and it takes a lot of will power for liam not to drag her up and kiss her into oblivion. "i want to see you come, li, okay?"

"okay," she nods, biting her bottom lip. she watches harry as she goes back to massaging her clit with her tongue which feels better than liam can attempt to describe, and she can feel her orgasm building up low in her stomach. "okay, fuck, god, harry, you're so--" she cuts herself off when harry pushes another finger inside and thrusts in and out and flicks her tongue faster and faster and that's it for liam, that's what pushes her over the edge as her body curls up and her legs tighten around harry's head and she gasps at the sensation because it's nothing she's ever felt before.

liam's hips twitch when harry drags her tongue from her cunt to the top, making her body shudder again. she gently pulls out her fingers and laps at them and liam watches, whining and wanting more even though her clit is throbbing. "harry, c'mon, come here," she begs, reaching over and grabbing whatever part of this beautiful naked girl she can reach.

harry comes willingly, making their mouths meet in a heated kiss while liam has no hesistation to bring her hand down and rub at harry's clit with two fingers before sliding further and shoving them in her cunt. " _oh_ ," harry moans in her mouth, one hand digging into liam's hair again while the other holds her steady above liam.

liam decides to occupy both of her hands and while her fingers are thoroughly fucking harry, her other fingers rub at harry's clit again. she can barely focus on kissing liam, which is totally fine, because hearing the noises coming out of her mouth are more than worth it.

"come for me, harry," liam says against her lips, curling her fingers and pushing them further and harder while the others give enough friction that harry can roll her hips and ride against them. "please, please, i want you to come, i just want you, c'mon, please."

"yes, yeah, liam, _fucking christ_ , you're good at this," she gasps, pushing down against liam's hands. "i'm gonna come, i will, i'm gonna--" her breath hitches and she pushes down one more time and she groans against liam's mouth, her hips stuttering and all liam can feel is warm wetness on both of her hands.

slowly, liam pulls her fingers out and moves them away from harry's cunt, letting the girl fall back to the side of the bed. harry's trying to catch her breath but she whines as she watches liam licking the come off of her fingers. "jesus," she says, catching liam's eye and smirking at the blush that begins to show on her cheeks. "you have no idea how fuckin' hot you are, do you?"

liam licks her lips and gets any remaining taste of harry that she can before she speaks. "no one's ever really told me the way that you do," she admits.

she doesn't jump or shift away when harry rolls to her side and practically wraps all of her limbs around liam's naked body. "well, i hope they don't from now on," she mumbles against liam's shoulder. "i kind of want to be the only one to tell you that."

"kind of?" liam asks, unable to hold back her chuckle even though her heart is racing much faster than it ever has around zayn.

"yeah, kind of. and by kind of, i mean just me. if that makes sense." harry shrugs and tilts her head closer to kiss the space that dips just above her collarbone.

"yeah, it makes sense," she agrees. "i know what you mean, anyway." she reaches up and runs her fingertips back and forth on harry's arm, feeling more relaxed than she ever remembers feeling in a long time.

there's silence for a bit, but it's not awkward. there's still soft music in the background mixed with harry's breathing, and liam never expected herself to become so comfortable with someone else that wasn't in her group of friends, nonetheless harry styles. she thinks it should be at least a little bit strange.

"s'this weird to you?" harry asks, as if she's reading liam's mind.

"it should be, shouldn't it?" liam questions, turning her head to look down at harry's mop of curls. "but it's not, actually. i feel alright. good, even."

"not great? just good?" harry looks back at her, the corner of her mouth curling up to that grin that liam has grown so found of, so fast.

"i feel great," liam whispers, as if it's a secret between the two of them. it shouldn't be, liam doesn't want this to be a secret- whatever this is- but that's something to think about later. right now, whispering feels right. it feels like a confession. it feels more real.

"me too," harry replies, inching up and pressing their mouths together. liam sighs contently against them and closes her eyes, admiring the taste and the feel and everything there is to admire about harry styles.

**

admittedly, yes, it was quite weird to bring harry around the rest of the girls in the beginning. niall tries her best to make not feel strange, zayn is meaner than all hell, and louis is confused because "why does everyone seem to know that this was going to happen but me?!"

liam held her ground, though, tilting her chin up and challenging zayn to say something, but she never did. she didn't really talk to liam much either, but liam won't give her the satisfaction of going to her first because zayn was in the wrong and she was not. while she doesn't want to lose one of her closest mates, she's not going to lose an opportunity like this with harry, either.

niall, liam and harry are in liam's room, attempting to study. attempting is the appropriate word because, while liam is extremely thankful that the two are getting along a lot better than she thought they would, they're both incredibly distracting when it comes to actual school work. liam truly never thought she could find someone as distracting as niall horan, and then the universe introduced her to harry styles.

she lies flat on her bed with her head buried in her arms, her books pushed aside while niall and harry chat about different _hats_ because harry always wants to wear them but doesn't think she can pull them off and niall is bascially giving her _the history of all hats_.

there's a knock on her door and her head snaps up and over to the door before glancing at niall and harry, who look as confused as she does. she rolls off of her bed and straightens out her skirt before heading to the door. when she opens it, the last person she expects to see is on the other side.

"zayn," she breathes, gripping onto the door handle. liam can hear niall and harry's whispers behind her, but all she can see is her mate standing in front of her, wringing her hands and biting her lip.

"hey, li," she greets. "um. do you think we can have a quick chat, if that's alright?"

she looks back at the two on the floor in her room, at niall who shrugs, and at her girlfriend ( _her girlfriend_ ) who smiles and nods. liam nods back and turns to zayn, stepping forward and gently closing the door behind her. "you alright?" liam asks.

"i'm-- i mean, yeah, i guess," zayn shrugs, looking down at her feet. "just missing my best mate like crazy, is all."

liam leans back against the door. "i'm always around, yanno."

"not like before." a loose hair falls from zayn's braid and liam doesn't hesistate, reaching over and pushing it behind zayn's ear. she can easily remember a time when that's all she wanted to do, when she prayed that she could be the girl that could push zayn's hair behind her ear. but now that she does it, she feels nothing. it's a good feeling. "it's... everything's different, li. everything, and i hate it, and i miss you so much."

"everything could be the same as it used to be if you would just accept the fact that i'm seeing harry," liam tells her.

this time, it's zayn's turn to snap. after weeks from when liam went at her, she's now returning the favor. "don't think that i don't know why you're dating harry in the first place, _liam_ ," she scoffs. "you're just doing it to get over me."

it feels like time stopped, like her stomach dropped, like her heart froze. liam can't move as she stares at zayn, who immediately releases what she just said.

" _fuck_ , liam, i'm so sorry," zayn says, taking a step forward and reaching out to grab liam's hand.

"you _knew_?" the second zayn's fingers brush against her wrist, she snatches her hand back. "you _knew_ how i felt about you, zayn? you knew and you just-- just kept it up like it was some game?" liam laughs disbelievingly as she shakes her head, because of course this happens.

"no! no, it wasn't a game! it's not-- it's not like-- fuck, liam, i don't know," zayn frowns. "i didn't know what to _do_ , okay? i didn't tell anyone else, and it's not like i was giving you the wrong impression about us."

liam widens her eyes, staring at zayn like she's grown two heads. "are you-- what the _hell_ , zayn, yes you did! every time you climbed into my bed at night after you and lou got in an argument and, and told me how much you loved me and all of that _bullshit_ , so yeah, you sort of did give me the wrong impression." she pushes her hair back and takes a deep breath. "look, zayn, i'm not-- of course i miss you too, yeah? you're my best mate before anything else, but... if you're cross with me because i don't like you anymore, then i don't think that we can go back to what we were."

zayn's bottom lip is trembling and liam wants to stay strong, but she doesn't think she can withstand zayn's tears. she's never been able to before. "that's not it, li, i _promise_. i just, i didn't know what to do when i figured it out, and i didn't want to act any differently around you, and-- and, yeah, okay, i may have taken advantage of you and i _swear_ that i felt like a massive arsehole afterwards, but you're my best mate and i'm a bit lost without you. i'm really lost without you and i hate it, okay? so i'm sorry. i'm sorry for freaking out when you told me about harry and i'm sorry for ignoring her for all of this weeks. it's not right, it's not what a best friend should do."

she stands there, crossing her arms with her back against the door. she wishes she could be more mad; there's something deep down that is angry, angry with zayn for using her the way she has for who knows how long, but she just... can't. liam completely blames harry for that because liam's told her all of this, after spending nights together unable to sleep, liam would just talk and talk and harry would just _listen_. she's always been the one to listen, but was never the one to just talk. she got to talk about everything with zayn, got to let it all out, and harry would be completely honest with her when giving her opinion. it felt natural, telling harry how she felt about zayn and how she dealt with it. it felt good, it felt like she was floating on air, but then harry would bring her down with her kisses and her soft touches and her laugh and to liam, that felt, _feels_ better than floating on air.

"i forgive you," liam says, meeting zayn's watery eyes. "i shouldn't, but i do. i really don't want to keep fighting with you, i don't want us to be cross with each other. i just want you to get along with my girlfriend and not have to worry about you two attacking each other."

zayn nods, and so does liam, and before she knows it, she's swept up in zayn's arms and being held tight. liam wraps her arms around zayn's neck and lets her tuck her head in her neck, just like she used to. it doesn't make liam feel like it used to, and for that, she's thankful.

they stay that way for a while until zayn loosens her grip and finally lets go. she wipes her eyes and sniffs before breathing out and composing herself. "so," she starts, a smile tugging at the corner of her lips, "girlfriend, huh?"

liam laughs and playfully shoves zayn's shoulder. "shut up. where's _your_ girlfriend?"

"sleeping," zayn sighs, rolling her eyes. "where else would she be?"

"true," liam nods, and her heart feels lighter than it has in a very, very long time.

they hug again and zayn kisses her cheek and promises to hang out with her and harry soon before she goes back to louis. liam heads back in her room, where niall is eating her snacks and watching her tellie while harry is lying on her bed. she grins when liam comes back in though, pushing herself up onto her elbows when liam joins her on the bed.

"how'd it go?" harry asks, tilting her head. some of her curls fall in front of her bright green eyes and liam doesn't hesitate to reach up and push it behind her girlfriend's ear.

"great," liam smiles. "everything is just... great."

harry keeps grinning and it just makes liam grin. she leans over and presses a sloppy kiss to liam's mouth, making her splutter and laugh.

"you guys are gross," niall huffs. "i'm going to be single forever."

they all laugh together, harry tucking her head in liam's neck and pressing a kiss to the skin. liam sighs and holds harry closer because she can, because she's comfortable, because she's happy.

**Author's Note:**

> That ending was so corny, jeez.  
> Anyway, I'm kind of sorry that this was also a focus on Liam/Zayn when this was really supposed to be Liam/Harry. Ziam is my OTP and I can't just brush by them! :( So I apologize if you thought this was more of a Ziam than a Lirry.
> 
> Because I like shopping, this is the outfit that Liam was wearing to the club. [I think it's cute!](http://www.charlotterusse.com/product/Tops/Long-Sleeve/Gold-Button-Tie-Front-Top/pc/3047/c/0/sc/2620/229891.uts?colorCode=301408554_102)  
> Also, the outfit to the left is their school uniform. [Super cute!](http://img.b2bage.com/photo/product35/902131/big-school-uniform-for-boys-and-girls.jpg)
> 
> I hope you enjoyed!


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